A Tale of a Thousand
by Arkodem
Summary: The smallest of stones, the greatest of mountains, they all have a story to tell. This is a story of a Troll's life up-until The Shattering. Rated T for cursing, gore. may become M for my mind to becomr pleased. my very first fic.


/Author's note. Hello there, glad you joined in on the story. Now this is my first story that I will be releasing and I hope you enjoy it, R&R please, and do avoid flaming me on my first story, I will gladly accept constructive criticism./

Being a resident of Azeroth was never an easy task, there was always a threat that would in danger the world to undo the titan's magnificent work. Be it an old god, a great dragon our king of dead it was always the citizens that rose to the title of heroes by bringing the threat to its knees.

Èôgra was a young druid, now a troll of the horde, about the age of twenty-two. He was not as muscular as other trolls but his wisdom and prowess in combat owershadowed his lack of physice. His skin was a light blue and the typical tribal marking's that characterizes the trolls were gray and white colored. From his chin to lower lip he was grey, then from his upper lip to his brow he was bone white, and then again gray from his brow to the start of his white, long braids.

He was no hero, not yet at least. He was from Strangelthorn, from the Gurubashi, no less, of Zul'Gurub before the Zandalari takeover. He was born in the time before the soulflayer's summoning. He was an apprentice of Zal'Garami, elder of the wild, a great druid, the mentor for the young druids. Zal'Garami was killed for standing against the summoning of Hakkar, speaking against the 'prophecies', against Jin'do and the Atal'ai like many others. Those who weren't killed were banished from Zul'Gurub and all of Strangelthorn.

_The night was upon the great city of Zul'Gurub, only few ventured outside in the dank, white light of the moon, thou through the darkness in the small hut of the great mentor from the wilds, yells and uproar could be heard clearly throughout the walls of the city._

"_Ya can't be 'serious! Ya 'be throwin ya lives' away wit 'da soulflayer, all he'll do is tha distroy wat we've fought tha build!"Ziral, the honored mate of Garami raged and shook under the three guards hold. The captain drew a knife of bone and put it against her neck and gave some pressure. "Watcha tongue filth'e traitor! Jin'do 'ave already blessed' tha priest's wit the power of the blood god, soon the Gurubashi, will rule tha entire world! And we kill all that dare stand in the way of our' powa, starting wit you and dat old geezer 'dere". The crude bone knife went into her throat as two other guards grabbed the old druid and brought him to his knees. "Ya have no idea what powa's ya be dealing wit'ere, the soulflayer earned 'is title for a reason, if ya cant see tha darkness that be falling over Zul'Gurub, ya be fools". Zal'Garami lowered his head as the guard withdrew his blade that pictured the red snake that was Hakkar. "No, ya be da fool to not see da powa we can get from dis pact wit tha mighty Hakkar!" And with that the sword lowered upon his neck, cutting it of clean. Èôgra who had been eavesdropping with a few other of the apprentices ran before they were caught, he knew what he had to do, but know was he had to escape, Zul'Gurub and the Gurubashi Empire had gone from being the greatest of the troll Empires to power mad lunatics._

_The next weeks, people disappeared around the city but in the night screams and chants could be heard. The guards roamed in the night barging into the houses of innocent and taking them to the Alter in the middle of the city to sacrifice them so that Hakkar would be pleased. The weeks turned into months and the months to one whole year of fright but the oracles believed it was an age of triumph._

_Èôgra was afraid, afraid that the other apprentices would be next, they had taken Venoxis and Thekal , although he didn't care much for those two in particular since they saw themselves better because of their powers, he pitied them however the pain and horror they were to withstand._

_At last he fled, after the sacrifices became routine and the city thinned out, he fled. Having heard of a powerful tribe of trolls proclaiming to be Zandalari and that they were here to stop the madness the Gurubashi had started, they were his prime designation._

"_Come' wit meh, we can still'scape dis madness, dis horror, dis destruction. Ya saw wat dey dit ta ol'Garami, we need to escape before we get tah same fate! It would be wat Garami wanted!" Èôgra looked upon the remnants of young druids, like himself not a very older then fifteen nonetheless, their eyes filled with sorrow, their souls with despair. "How are we gunna escape dis mon? We be powaless tha do anything, tha guards be on shift and patrolin' da whole area, and if we escaped were to den, huh? Tha whole of Stranglethorn be wit dise crazy whako's. Nah mon we can't do nuthin no more." All the other trolls nodded in agreement, the heads low, their hearts sunken with despair putting out any spark of hope._

"_Ave' yall forgotten dat we be of the wild eh? We be druids, mastahs of nature, shapesifthas of de animals, we can hide in plain sight, and Garami taught us dat didn't he? Dident he teach us how ta fight wit da beast inside us. And were to go? 'ave ya heard of tha Zandalari up to tha north, dey have come tah stop tha Gurubashi madness, I say we be heading ta dem first hand. Now who wishes ta join me and break free from tha bonds that hold us down 'ere?" He looked them one by one in the eye, seeing nothing, not a single spark of hope, only the fear of what the future had for them. He sighed "A will be leaving tha night, when tha moon is atop its peak. If ya wanna follow, ya be welcome." He turned and walked away from the clearing in the woods out to the little dirt road that lead away from the remains of Zal'Garami's hut, the guards burned it down after they had finished the 'traitor' he was. _

_**OOOOOOOOOO**_

_His hut wasn't big, but it had the necessities, of living conditions. A bed made of the remaining wood boards from the hut and some hay and blankets, a closet for his many clothes, armor and weapons he had so neatly created, they fit his style of combat as he went for the prowess and agility of the tiger, the he had made it possible for the optimal movement and stealth. The bathroom was more a little closet with two buckets one with water and one for everything else, then a window by his bed and that was it. He packed his bags and found his best suit of armor and his very best staff. The armor consisted of leather from tigers. It was slender but tight, thin but strong. His cape was of lion fur, very expensive since it was bought from the traveling goblins from booty bay down south. His staff was truly a masterpiece, a long piece of oak that he had gotten from the dark forest up north. He had bent the wood by his power of nature and blessed it. He had placed leather all around the piece of oak and then placed along curved double blade in the end of it. The staff's head consisted of a large feline head that he had adorned with markings and ornaments of power and placed two tigerseye gems in the eye sockets._

_He was ready to leave all he had to do was wait._


End file.
